Heretofore in underground mining operations it has been common practice to remove ore from underground in the mine, to force air from the earth's surface into the mine for ventilation and other purposes, to pump encroaching water from the mine shafts to the earth's surface, and the like, by addressing each process individually.
It would be very helpful not only from an operational viewpoint, but also from an energy conservation approach, to deal with these various seemingly independent processes in a coordinated systems-type manner thereby obtaining a maximum coordinated effect from these various processes as they proceed toward their individual goals.